Process for treating tobacco



Patented Apr. 27, 1943 PROCESS FOR TREATING TOBACCO Johannes. Moser, 'Berlin-Tegel, Germany; vested in the Alien PropertyCustodian No Drawing. Application 'August'-:26,--1939,- Serial No. 292,138. In Germany April 25,1939

17 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in processes for treating tobacco and it has for its object certain improvements designedmore particularlyfor use in processes forming the subiiect of American Letters Patent No. 2,149,179 according to which thefermentation of tobacco is effected by inoculating the tobacco With suitable culturedmicroorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco and conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment.

According to the present invention the tobacco, prior to being treated'according'to the process 'above referred to, i subjected to -a sterilizing treatment.

.For carrying out the process according to the patent before referredto, the restriction or even the effect of the process described).

A suitable choice of the atmosphere with which the tobacco is kept in contactpermits in general the suppression ofa part of, or eventually, of the whole flora grown on tobacco. This isdue to the, factthatthe microorganisms are deeply affected by the atmosphere and that their vitality depends onttheatmosphere in which they live. Apart from the fact that there exist so-called obligate aer'obia, obligate 'anaerobia and facultative aerobia and 'anaerobia, even bacteri-al'flora, though spore-forming species may be concerned with, may be lulled to sleep by"narcotic atmospheres,. such as ether, chloroform and the like media, that is to say be restrained in their vitality for a length of time suflicient for a varied fermentation. Such restraints, however, may also be obtained according to the process of the invention by means of atmospheres which are not narcotic atmospheres. For example, the storing of the tobacco in a pure Nz-atmosphere has the effect of favouring the growth of a flora different from that obtained by the storage of the tobacco in a pure C'Oz-atmosphere. For the subsequent use of that part of the process disclosed and claimed by the aforesaid patent which provides a vaccination with noble flora a storing of the tobacco in a pure or high percentage Oz-atmosphere is of particular advantage, as such atmosphere results in the suppression of the anaerobic Wild. flora, so that, on account of the suppression of the aerobic flora during the fermentation with the exclusion of "oxygen, the inoculated noble flora-"maycompletely develop.

The fol-lowing example may illustrate the use of the process-according to the invention:

The unfermented tobacco supplied by the farmer in a roof-mature-condition is secluded from the outer atmosphere and stored in oxygen. "After-a certain lapse of time, say three days,- the tobacco is' fermented-in' the manner described by thespecificatiohof the aforesaid patent.

The sterilization process according to the pres :ent invention is-o'f equal importancefor the storage- 0f tobaccos which-havealready undergone fermentation or whichhave already beenworked --up; for itis a fact which-can be repeatedly observed, U that -tobaccos are, after fermentation, attackedby-uridesirable-flora. Also insuch a case the partial sterilizationaccording-to the present invention will be aremedy. In this respect the process of the invention also includes a -st'oring'of the completelyfermented or worked-up tobacco in-a Cog-atmosphere at a nonincreased .-temperatur.e. T-hisstorage in-a suitable atmosphere.v chosen according to-the conditions of the cindividual case sand with a non-increasedtemrperature'results,.according to the-new process, in

a partial sterilization which in combination with the:;previous fermentation according to the prociess1of :the JaforesaidAmerican patent may be necsessaryorat least. desirable. "Example: After hav- .in-g. icompleted. titszfermentation or "having b een wo'rhedieup the .ztobaccoi is "put 'at ordinary temperaturerinto: .aiCGg-iatmosphere which quel-ls the obligateraerobiai'and rrestrains also the vitality of the "tobaccoeanaerobia "a'wh'ic'h .are thermo-bac- "teria.

Therprocess according itcxthe present invention also permits refermenting already fermented tobacco, no matter whether the preceding fermentation has been a machine fermentation, that is to say a mere drying operation, or whether it has been a real fermentation, that is to say a bulk fermentation with admission of the atmospheric air, or a fermentation with exclusion of free oxygen.

The operation is then the same as in the case of a first fermentation: Placing the tobacco to be fermented for a suitable length of time (for example three days) into a suitable atmosphere (for example CO2), thereafter fermentation according to the process of American Patent No. 2,149,179.

I claim: I

1. Process of treating tobacco in which the tobacco, as received from the grower, is stored oxygen, inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation of the tobacco in an oxygen-free environment and then again storing said tobacco in a substantially pure oxygen.

10. A process of treating tobacco which comprises sterilizing the tobacco by storing it in oxygen, inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation of the toducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen free environment.

3. A process of treating tobacco which comprises sterilizing the tobacco by storing it in a substantially pure oxygen, then inoculating the tobacco with suitable culture microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco and then conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygenfree environment.

4. A process of treating tobacco which comprises inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the. fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment and then storing said tobacco with the exclusion of atmospheric air.

5. A process of treating tobacco which comprises inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment and then storing said tobacco in a substantially pure oxygen.

6. The process of treating tobacco which comprises inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment, then working-up said tobacco and then storing said tobacco with the exclusion of atmospheric air.

'7. The process of treating tobacco which comprises inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment, then working-up said tobacco and then storing said tobacco in oxygen.

8. A process of treating tobacco which comprises sterilizing the tobacco by storing it with the exclusion of atmospheric air, inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation of the tobacco in an oxygenfree environment and then again storing said tobacco with the exclusion of atmospheric air.

9. A process of treating tobacco which comprises sterilizing the tobacco by storing it in bacco in an oxygen-free environment and then again storing said tobacco in a substantially pure oxygen and then working-up said tobacco.

11. A process of treating tobacco which comprises sterilizing said tobacco by storing said tobacco in oxygen, then inoculating the tobacco with suitable cultured microorganisms, removing all air from the tobacco, conducting the fermentation thereof in an oxygen-free environment, then working-up said tobacco and then storing said tobacco for a time in oxygen.

12. A process for the treatment of tobacco particularly the pretreatment of tobacco in which said tobacco is inoculated for fermentation with a particular flora which comprises storing said tobacco in a substantially pure oxygen atmosphere for sterilizing said tobacco before the fermentation of said tobacco.

13. A process for the treatment of tobacco particularly the pretreatment of tobacco in which said tobacco is inoculated for fermentation with a particular flora which comprises storing said tobacco in a substantially pure oxygen atmosphere for sterilizing said tobacco after the fermentation of said tobacco.

14. A process for the treatment of tobacco particularly the pretreatment of tobacco in which said tobacco is inoculated for fermentation with a particular flora which comprises storing said tobacco in asubstantially pure oxygen atmosphere for sterilizing said tobacco in an intermediate stage of treatment of said tobacco.

15. A process as set forth in claim 12, in which said tobacco is subjected to a sterilization after completion of the first fermentation and is then refermented.

16. A process as set forth in claim 13, in which said tobacco is subjected to a sterilization after completion of the first fermentation and is then refermented.

1'7. A process as set forth in claim 14, in which said tobacco is subjected to a sterilization after completion of the first fermentation and-is then refermented.

JOHANNES MOSER. 

